May 20, 2021

The Honorable The Honorable 722 Hart Senate Office Building 555 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Ben Cardin The Honorable 509 Hart Senate Office Building 511 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable The Honorable Cindy Hyde-Smith 706 Hart Senate Office Building 702 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510

Re: S. 1512, the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021

Dear Senators Schatz, Wicker, Cardin, Thune, Warner, and Hyde-Smith:

Thank you for your continued leadership in responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) writes to thank you for your leadership in introducing S. 1512, the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021. We urge Congress to swiftly enact this legislation to modernize and expand our healthcare delivery system to support patient access to telehealth services beyond the current pandemic.

Established in 1943, AAAAI is a professional organization with more than 6,700 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. This membership includes board certified allergist/immunologists, other medical specialists, allied health and related healthcare professionals – all with a special interest in the research and treatment of patients with allergic and immunological diseases.

AAAAI’s members treat a variety of patients that are at a disproportionally higher risk for serious and potentially life-threatening complications related to COVID-19, including those with compromised immune systems and asthma. AAAAI’s members are also uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat seasonal allergies. During this crisis, the ability for our members to utilize telehealth services to differentiate the symptoms of COVID-19 to seasonal allergies has served as a critical tool in both keeping patients from necessary

(more) but potentially dangerous visits to their doctor and relieve the bandwidth issues expected at physician offices, urgent care centers, and emergency rooms across the country as the virus continues to spread.

Through the Centers for and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) numerous virtual care and telehealth flexibilities offered through recent rulemakings related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AAAAI members report increased patient uptake of telehealth and virtual technology platforms that are helping them diagnose, treat, and manage the care of Medicare and Medicaid patients with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory and immunologic diseases.

Given AAAAI members’ positive experiences with telehealth, our organization especially appreciates the provisions in the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 that would: make the COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent; expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare; and remove permanently all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to include the home and other sites.

Thank you for your leadership in introducing legislation to ensure flexible patient access to care through telehealth services. The AAAAI looks forward to working with you to advance the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 in the 117th Congress.

As issues related to allergies, asthma, and immunological disorders arise, I encourage you to contact Sheila Heitzig, JD, MNM, CAE, AAAAI Director of Practice and Policy, at (414) 272-6071 or [email protected] if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Giselle S. Mosnaim, MD, MS, FAAAAI President, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology